This Week’s Pick of Irish Acts 18th-20th
MMOTHS at Block B Smithfield, Saturday 20th December
Ireland’s most exciting electronic music act, MMOTHS produces brilliantly expansive sounds, sweeping with explosions of emotion soaked in reverb. The sound is at once consistently diverse and distinctive, but most importantly, enormously impressive. Tracks like Santo orchestrate ceaseless growth and progressively create extensive, beautiful impressions with such a mastery that only makes it hard to believe that Jack Colleran is 21 years old, not the fact that he has supported Aphex Twin. MMOTHS’ newer releases are more rough around the edges than his older stuff, they don’t shy away from mindful use of distortion and harsher tones. This concert will definitely draw 2014 to a great close for Irish music, leaving what is certain to be one of the best until last.
The Emigrant Disco at The Sugar Club, Saturday 20th December
The idea behind The Emigrant Disco is simple and brilliant; to gather up a great selection of Irish acts, living here or abroad, for a fantastic night of Irish-made music, and they’ve done just that. Dimman, an interesting new live project from Richie Egan of Jape and Matthew Bolger of The Redneck Manifesto based in Malmo, Sweden, sound easy-going and effortlessly pleasing. Their partnership is, according to themselves, “an effortless expression of their friendship”, and they’re right. The music is suitably bright and seemingly carefree, with irresistible floating rhythms and melodies. Following this pair is a long list of talented acts including White Collar Boy, Discotekken and Telephones.
Knockanstockan Christmas Party at the Sugar Club, Thursday 18th December
Contour, Rebecca Collins, Mama Kasbah and Vernon Jane are some of the names gathering in The Sugar Club this Wednesday to play some music for a double entendre of festive good-will, raising money for St. Vincent de Paul. Rebecca Collins is an Irish singer-songwriter based in Copenhagen whose voice is reminiscent of The Cardigans’ Nina Persson, while her alt-rock has a winsome appeal without being overly quirky. Contour’s sound is experimental and playful, and the electronic music that results has a lot of personality and body. Entry is free, and guests invited to make donations and buy raffle tickets, with some tickets to next year’s festival up for grabs.
Words: Cara Spelman